The Ice, the Crones, and Me
by Dusk Reaper
Summary: (On hold) A journal of Ebbitt's new life upon the Ice with the Icecarls. Add a constantly disappearing Codex, freezing weather, and disapproving Icecarls, and you get...chaos. The Ruin Ship will never be the same again. Read and review!


**Disclaimer: **Garth Nix owns the setting, Ebbitt, the Codex, Milla, the Crones, and much more. The only thing I own here is the plot. 

**Author's note: **This log is an insane idea of mine to show Ebbitt's thoughts on the Ice. Of course, I cannot get all of Ebbitt's strange- but very awesome- quirks to life. I try though! I just love the Seventh Tower series, especially Ebbitt, the book's comic relief. 

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**Diary of Ebbitt Nune-Taril-  "The Ice, the Crones, and Me"**

1st circling of the New Age, according to these Crones

_First day around at this strange vessel was hazardous. The blasted Codex, who claims to know all, gave me no assistance at all. Instead, it ran away from me again, disappearing to look at our new premises. Darkness take that impatient piece of silver. So…I became lost attempting to find the room Milla had indicated would be mine. Unfortunately for myself, my old noggin rather mixed up the directions and ended up in some chamber where slabs of bloody meat were kept. _

_I finally reached my own compartment, and realized that these Icecarls did not sleep on mattresses. Phooey to that. According to Milla, you are supposed to sleep on the floor curled up in fur. Umm…my rheumatism just might get worse after this adventure. _

_Then nature called. The lavatory seemed to be nowhere in sight, so I searched for it. The opening of a random door and finding weapons being thrown around the room by Shield Maiden cadets made me immediately close the door before my own cranium was detached from my neck. That was definitely NOT the bathroom._

_I inquired an Icecarl on where the restroom would be, and was told it would be outside. Dark take it. Moreover, the craft was still moving through the ice. _

_I'm guessing I should just wait for now._

_On with the day- my meal consisted of what do you know? Selski meat! That seems to be the regular diet of these humans. Luckily, I had supplied myself with my orange cakes. You can't live without those little delicacies. _

_The accursed Codex returned after the supper. I should keep a leash on that object._

_Becoming lost did have it's nice spots. For one, I found that those Crones spend an awful long time directing people to move ships on a board that is only a few feet away. Rather fascinating to watch. _

_Time for my sleep on the floor. I miss my furniture. Milla Thingummy-Hand wouldn't let me take them._

1st circling of the New Age, 2nd day on ship

_The Codex decided to stay today to help me around the ship, guiding me to my breakfast of more Selski meat. These people need to be introduced to chocolate one day. No sweet tooth at all. Makes you wonder how they can survive with only meat. _

_A new job has been given to me that give me more amusement at the Icecarls' lacking. Many of their Sunstones have needed tuning for several years now, and yet they continue to polish their swords to a blinding glow while walking in the dimming halls. A Shield Mommy has allowed me to explore the ship if I fix the Sunstones on the way. _

_Meanwhile, I am also attempting to tutor Milla some light magic for her Sunstone, but she seems more interested in the Beastmaker games between the Codex and I. Lucky she is not a poor sport, for my head might be walloped off by her Talons. I can just picture her now, saying, "Off with his head!"_

_Milla seems to be maintaining some communication with the Crone Malen. How, I do not know. Maybe they are talking through their minds. Either that or Milla just happens to talk to herself a lot and speaking to herself as if she was Malen. Or she finds the walls a better companion for conversation than me. _

_Icecarls tend to look at me funny. I think they find my hat odd. I thought everyone wore pots on their heads…But that might have been the last decade. _

1st circling of the New Age, 5th day on ship

_Beastmaker is becoming a very popular game to the Icecarls. The people not on duty to hunt and guard the ship have learned to play and have become rather…attached to it. It does not help with the fact that there is only one board among the ship, and it happens to be my own. So, I have taken to leaving it out of my room, as I would have little privacy from Icecarls entering in and out constantly._

_There seems to be no old beings at the Icecarl ship. There are those Crones, but otherwise, there are none. Milla explained to me that the old and the weak go to the "Ice," but I do not see the point of that system. However, it does seem to explain why the Icecarls ask why I am not venturing towards the Ice. _

_I should think that answer would be obvious._

1st circling of the New Age, 10th day on ship

_I have a feeling that no matter how long I will stay on this vessel, I will never become used to it. The rumbling the floors make while the ship crosses the Ice feels worse than the time Tal toppled half my furniture to the ground in a domino style. What a disaster that event was. And I experience this earthquake each day. _

_Speaking of Tal, that nephew of mine sent a correspondence today. He wrote of the productiveness around the Castle and of the Freefolk. Humph. He inscribed two rolls of parchment about the well being of the Castle and left me no food enclosed at all. Typical Tal. _

_Milla decided today to bring me more furs, and insisted that I try them on to be sure they fit. I did not know she meant ALL six of the furs at ONCE. Made me look like a bloated Gorblag from Aenir. At least I do not whistle and have a skin of blue. Though it would be rather fascinating…Anyways, all I wonder of now is how the ballooned Sushin managed to move throughout the Castle with his natural bulk. But he had that dragon-shadow-thing to assist him. Here, I only have my own legs, and a rather amused Milla. I did not imagine the girl could smile (normal people get attitudes from their family or their friends, but no…this one receives it from where she LIVES), but at that moment, she looked ready to die laughing. Did I look so comical? Yes. _

_I glanced in a small looking glass she brought me, and EEK! I looked worse than a Gorblag. I looked like a regurgitating, hairy Urglegurgle! HA! So I CAN pull this look off better than Sushin! I tried doing a victory dance, but ended up collapsing and rolling around the small corridor. A Shield Maiden Cadet seems to have thought I was a small Selski and tried to shoot me with an arrow. The furs were thick enough to withstand the accidental assault, and oddly enough, the arrow imbedded through only two layers. _

_Getting up was harder than falling. I gave up, but Milla proceeded to drag my extended bulge to my chamber, after finding that the furs would not come off. Joy. _

_It is about an hour until I should sleep now, but the furs have not come off. Should I blast them and end up streaking through the corridors aflame? Sounds fun, but I have yet to meet those Crones, and coming as a pile of ash will not make me look so good…If I could find that blasted Codex again, it might be able to help. How is it that when I need to ask a question, it will most likely be to ask where it is? Dark take it. ___

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First circling of the New Age, 11th day on the ship

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_Sleeping proved to be a rather difficult chore last night. Much harder than trying to get into Violet back at that Castle. Trying to get into Violet is easy if you can speak well, but you cannot use skill of tongue to sleep. I felt like one of those toy spheres that Chosen children played with. I rolled around the ground just for the fun of it, and was awful amused- and dizzy- until Milla came in to investigate the thuds in my room. She gave me a confused look, and then used her sword to slit the ties. I felt much lighter. I wanted to roll some more, but she ordered me to sleep before the Shield Mommies would come. Bah._

_Codex slithered back in the morning, and we continued our Beastmaker rounds. Score: 200-198, in favor of it. _

_Also today, I went to a diplomatic affair with Milla. Meeting became very boring, and they discussed outside on the Ice. I bounced up and down to keep myself warm. Milla stopped me later, saying I would crack the ground beneath me. So I looked at the glow-jellies. Odd creatures. More weird looks from Icecarls. I could make a record out of this._

_More later. Codex decided to stick around today and insists on playing Beastmaker. _

**Author's Note: **Really short, I know. But I'll continue some more when I can. What do you think so far? Review please!!!


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